Help the collection grow

Have you got a plant named after Miss Willmott or Warley Place?

A plant tucked away in a garden, nursery or old collection could be important. The simplest way to help is to tell us what you grow and what you know about where it came from.

Four useful ways to help

You don’t need to be an expert.

Photos, labels, old catalogues, seed packets and family garden records can all help piece together provenance.

Would you be willing to:

01

Donate a Plant

Tell us if you grow something named Willmott, Miss Willmott, Warley or a related botanical name.

02

Donate Seeds

Seed or propagation material may help protect plants that are scarce in cultivation.

03

Confirm history

Old labels, catalogues and notes can help confirm a plant’s identity and history.

04

Confirm others

Specialist growers and gardeners may recognise names or variants that have been overlooked.

What to send

A useful plant report takes five minutes.

If you think you have something relevant, send as much of the following as you can. Missing details are fine.

Plant details

  • Name on the label or in your records
  • Clear photos of flowers, leaves and whole plant
  • Approximate age, if known

Provenance

  • Where you obtained it
  • Nursery, garden or person it came from
  • Any historic label or paperwork
Collection of flowers suggesting plant diversity

Names to watch for

Check your labels.

These are useful clues, not a definitive list.

Common naming clues

  • ‘Ellen Willmott’
  • ‘Miss Willmott’
  • willmottiae / willmottiana / willmottianum
  • ‘Warley’ / warleyensis

Plants already associated with the legacy

  • Eryngium giganteum — Miss Willmott’s Ghost
  • Lathyrus odoratus ‘Miss Willmott’
  • Rosa ‘Ellen Willmott’
  • Galanthus ‘Miss Willmott’
  • Tulipa ‘Ellen Willmott’

Start with a photo

Think you have something relevant?

Send the plant name, a few photographs and anything you know about its origin. That is enough to start a conversation.